The Mentor Files

Listen in to learn how Alberto Perlman has kept Zumba relevant, one thing every entrepreneur should do, and the clash of innovation and operation. "So I see the class, and I saw something that I didn't know existed. I saw fitness without sacrifice." - Alberto Perlman. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/67

Listen in to learn how important it is for Gretchen Hansen to keep innovating, how to use data to make better decisions, and the best way to view competition. "Understand who your customer is, understand what their needs are, and what those unmet needs are." - Gretchen Hansen. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/66

Listen in to learn the beginnings of True Botanicals, where Hillary focused her efforts in the beginning, and the importance of finding the best team. "It was really important to us to be able to deliver results without toxins." - Hillary Peterson. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/65

Listen in to learn how retail is being reinvented, how to maximize your retail experience, and what Dan looks for in a startup. "Retail is truly going to be omnichannel, and that's because the consumer has become omnichannel." - Dan Wenhold. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/64

Listen in to learn what he believes makes a great CEO, the most common mistakes that are made in a pitch, and the importance of having an incredible team. "The global economy never stops; you could work 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and still not be done." - Phil Schwarz. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/63

Learn what makes the perfect pitch when raising capital, how to create your best team, and what Jesse has learned from her work in venture capital. "Sometimes you're betting on a founder with a two or three person team, and sometimes you're betting on a sole founder. It's really about the people, so I try to get to know them however I possibly can." - Jesse Draper. Learn m...

Listen in to learn why Dana Gordon believes that laughter is so important in your business, and the importance of recognizing your own successes. "It's very important to make sure your kids understand what you do every day, whether they go into that line of work or not." - Dana Gordon. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/61

Listen in to today's episode and learn how Mia started Oars & Alps, how she built her team, and what she believes was the key to their success. "I'm a firm believer that you can't have a side hustle. It's a distraction, not only to the business you're about to build, but also to what you're currently doing." - Mia Duchnowski. Learn more about this episod...

While we are on our winter break, enjoy this rerun of one of our favorite episodes! In 2015, Jen Rubio was traveling back from a trip to Switzerland when her luggage broke in the middle of a crowded airport, sending her clothes and belongings everywhere. As she looked for a replacement she couldn't find the kind of iconic, high-quality, affordable luggage she was looking for. Jen called up he...

Listen in to learn what drew Umaimah into becoming an entrepreneur, the real value of your network, and why she became comfortable being an outsider. "[Growing up], I had this little germ of creativity. I loved to design and I wanted to be a fashion designer when I grew up." - Umaimah Mendhro. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/5...

Listen in to learn what inspired Holly to start Supergoop, why she focused on a slow scaling of her brand, and what she considers when she takes in capital.  "I think the decision making becomes easier when you're always focused on your mission and why you exist as a brand." - Holly Thaggard. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.bl...

Listen in to learn what inspired Rachelle to start both of her two successful companies, and how she has found inspiration in her life's challenges. "There was no grand plan, I just kept doing what felt right." - Rachelle Hruska. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/57

Listen in to learn what sparked Erik to start Chess.com, how he has maintained such constant growth, and why he loves having a fully remote team. "After school, I said I would spend one year [with Chess.com] at most and then I'm going to go take those job offers from the big tech companies. But that just never happened, it just kept growing and growing." - Erik Allebest. Learn more...

Listen in to learn how Brett went from PR of Gucci to becoming a mom and starting Edie Parker, and what lessons she has learned over the last seven years. "When you work for yourself, there's never a Sunday. There's never a day where I'm not thinking about the business. It's a totally different animal." - Brett Heyman. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files...

Listen in to learn more about Minibar's path to launch, how they pitched and raised funds for their idea, and the major hurdles that came up along the way. "Off-premise alcohol sales is 100 billion dollars [per year] in the US. It's a massive industry that just hadn't been brought online, unlike every other industry." - Lindsey Andrews. Learn more about this episode of The...

On today's episode, Shan-Lyn goes through how she started Zola, from the inspiration behind the idea to the implementation and fundraising for the business. "Now we're really focused not just continually improving and innovating in wedding registries, but also in how we can serve couples throughout their entire wedding planning journey." - Shan-Lyn Ma. Learn more about this epi...

Listen in to learn how Micky is guiding Bonobos into a new age of digital brands, and how she maintains a strong culture in all their retail environments. "The journey began from that very first interaction and interview [with Andy], and I moved my family from the other side of the country to come work for Andy and the opportunity to build this brand." - Micky Onvural. Learn more about t...

Listen in to learn how Mariah joined the team at Eloquii, what it was like joining an established company in the role of CEO, and her advice for all CEO's. "I just thought, 'Wow, I've been in fashion my whole career, and how on Earth have we not been talking about this customer?'." - Mariah Chase. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at...

Listen in as Leah talks about her career moving from entrepreneur to becoming a general partner in venture capital, and her advice for young companies. "TaskRabbit was able to help shape the future of work at a time when people really needed it." - Leah Busque. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www.monicaandandy.blog/50

While we are on our winter break, enjoy this rerun of one of our favorite episodes! In 2015, Jen Rubio was traveling back from a trip to Switzerland when her luggage broke in the middle of a crowded airport, sending her clothes and belongings everywhere. As she looked for a replacement she couldn't find the kind of iconic, high-quality, affordable luggage she was looking for. Jen called up he...

While we are on our winter break, enjoy this rerun of one of our favorite episodes! When Payal Kadakia went online one day in 2011 to book a ballet workout class, she was “miserably frustrated” with how difficult it was to find and attend the right type of class. After realizing her friends had similar frustrations, she created ClassPass — a monthly membership fitness-class booking company — as a...

While we are on our winter break, enjoy this rerun of one of our favorite episodes! Christine Hunsicker, CEO and Founder of Gwynnie Bee — an online subscription rental clothing service for women sizes 10-32 — launched her business from her Manhattan apartment in 2013. Fast forward to today, the company has more than 400 employees across the world, offers over 3,000 styles from 120 brands and to da...

Listen in to learn how Craig raised his chance of success for his startup through clever market research and using what he learned from the Bonobos team. "[Care/Of] came out of an experience of shopping for vitamins and supplements and finding it to be overwhelming, confusing, and at times manipulative. I really just wanted to make it easier for customers to figure out what's right for t...

Listen in to learn what inspired Eunice Byun to start Material Kitchen, and how her journey shaped her into the CEO and leader that she is today. "[Material Kitchen] really stems from growing up in a family that loved to eat and celebrated life through food and how that brought all of us together." - Eunice Byun. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Files with Monica Royer at www....

Listen in to today's episode to learn the benefits of running your own retail space, and the advantages a physical location has over online-only brands. "Whenever you read the same thing everywhere, it's almost always wrong. And when everybody is rushing for the exits, it's usually the best time to rush in." - Brendan Wallace. Learn more about this episode of The Mentor Fi...